Door County Historical Museum Opens May 1

Photo by Len Villano.

The Door County Historical Museum will open May 1 for its 78th season. The museum was chosen by the Chicago Tribune as the “Best Small Museum in the Midwest” and continues to attract visitors from around the country and around the world.

Each of the four main viewing areas within the museum highlights a different aspect of Door County history.

The front room (the original 1939 museum building) features a spectacular Door County Natural History wildlife diorama, designed and built by Door County taxidermist Mike Orthober. He will appear at the museum three times this summer – June 17, July 15, Aug. 26 – to demonstrate the art and craft of taxidermy.

The Pioneer Fire Station occupies the north side of the museum. It houses three restored fire trucks, the oldest from 1920 (the kids can sit on the front seat and ring the bell), and a hand-operated water pump from 1869.

The upper level of the 1984 museum addition shows off the many activities and businesses that make Door County unique and special.

Head down to the lower level and take a walk through Sturgeon Bay a hundred years (or so) ago. There’s a drug store, a smithy, a general store, a doctor’s office and a phone booth among many others.

The museum is located on the corner of 4th and Michigan in Sturgeon Bay and is open 10 am – 4:30 pm daily from May 1 through Oct. 31.